Gatsby notes on symbolism and themes

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Ch. 1

Background:

The American Dream

James truslow adams - epic of america

am. dream is not a quest for wealth but self worth and abundance

live in a world of opportunity - hard work (Ben Frank.)

D of Independence - Eur. Settlers

everyone can achieve the same (through hard work)

Popularized by: Horatio Alger

boys who came from nothing to be millionaires (rags to riches)

Equal opp. to succeed

american ethos, identity

East Egg/West Egg

Long Island, next to new york

divided by water

East Egg

old money

rich family, inherited wealth

manhasset neck or port washington

West egg

great neck

new money - worked for it

fitzgerald lived here

gatsby based on max gerlach

see money that is earned and not inherited as lower - aristocratic

not now though

eas tv. west coast of the US

“The Rise of the Coloured Empires”

in one hand, equal opp. - in the other, race has big impact on life and opp.

Stoddard - parallel w/ buchanan

said white is the dominant race

fear that the colored people would become the superior

white supremacy must be maintained!!

stoddard

harvard educated - widely accepted belief

Tom Buchannan

old money

arrogant, racist, rude, cruel

dominant, authoritative - always gets what he wants

college football star at yale

the way fitzgerald represents old money - asks: why do we admire them?

Chapter notes:

CH. 1/2 -

Nick

Denotation: west egg, advantaged (rich), judges (but says he doesn’t), people trust him, educated - Yale, politician, hypocrite, bitter, (FORESHADOWING), discouraged, old money, veteran-war changed him, desillusion; but now hope, purpose, restless, alone, hopeful, afraid, salty, disillusioned, judgemental, unreliable, narrator, educated, demeaning and dismissing, reserved

Connotation: The Lost Generation, but with hope at the beginning (searching for meaning)

Possible Symbolism: Nothing yet

Tom

Denotation: east egg, arrogant, unrestful, drifting, dominant, authoritative, powerful, can control the world around him, racist, peaked at 21 (‘cool’ college kids), Very, very wealthy, old money, old house, sturdy, muscular, straw hair, red, gold, eagerness to fight, imperative, brute, hulking, has an affair, dominant, wistful, cruel, defiant, violent, ready to fight, dumb, liar

Connotation: conservative, powerful, domineering, white supremacist, longing for control; tethered to the past?

loss of control

Possible Symbolism: Old Money, conservatism?

Daisy

Denotation: east egg, white, dresses, rippling and fluttering, lux, charming, lovely, puts you in a daze, VOICE, bright, excitement in her voice, stands up for herself, gossiping, appealing, thinks women have to be pretty little fools, naive, excitement, sad and lovely, pale, delicate, womanly, dreamy, careless, free (until tom), floating, fresh, insubstantial, [wind - 12], surface, happiness (bruised finger - odd marriage), center of attention

Connotation: superficiality but rotten inside, beauty but fake, dreamy, money; false front, false perfection; meretriciousness; the american dream?

Possible Symbolism: the American Dream of Materialism?

Jordan

Denotation: motionless, chin raised, snobby, righteous (right), cadette, bored all the time, absence of all desire, unashamed, “a nice girl”, prideful, demeaning

Connotation: fake

Possible Symbolism: nothing yet

Gatsby

Denotation: west egg, everything nick dislikes (scornful of), hope, romantic readiness - full of life, optimistic, dreamer, imitation, castle, vines, enjoys time alone, “gift for hope”, responsiveness, imposing, optimistic, new money (rich) - but tries to look old money

Denotation: puts up an elaborate facade, new money, hopeful about the future (opp. of tom), hope, optimistic, longing

Possible Symbolism: the working class dreamer?

Valley of the Ashes

Denotation: Ashy, dirty, bleak powdery air, grey (cars), ghastly, impenetrable cloud, obscure

Connotation: desolate, bleak, poor; death, suffering, remnants of something or an event, industrial waste, people are made of ash

George Wilson

Denotation: small block of yellow brick, garage, unprosperous and bare, dust-covered, shadow; holding piece of waste, blond, spiritless, anemic, faintly handsome, hope?, blue eyes, ghost, submissive, cement color, white dust, dumb (naive),

Connotation: ?

Possible Symbolism: nothing yet

Myrtle Wilson

Denotation: thickish figure, mid-thirties, faintly stout, sensuous, spotted dress, no gleam of beauty, vitality, soft coarse voice, dominant over her husband, no dust, brown dress (changes dress a lot), straightforward, warm soft and pastoral, (center of attention), cream colored chiffon dress, rustle, expanded, “revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air”; flounced, ecstasy; violent and obscene language, wild, living for now (“you can’t live forever”), artificial (laughter),

Connotation: tries to look like she has money - changing dresses, acts upper class, above people

Who does the belief in the American Dream benefit?

lower classes

Movie notes: (how do they represent the characters)

tom: blue - control, power

always centered in the shot (power shot)

symmetrical, balanced

Daisy: white, light, whispy, airy, magical, alluring, veiled, feathery dress

Jordan: neat and trimmed,

neat trimmed bright colors for mansion

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Ch. 2

Valley of the Ashes - background info:

large pile of ash in Corona NY

huge

from burning of coal

industrial wasteland

urban poor

immigrants, african-americans, overspenders

high to unhealthy environments

lack of education, healthcare, lighting, water

rural poor

farmers - not much income, crop prices went down

loans - led to more debt

women: more conservative

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Ch. 3-4

Motifs of Disintegration (ch. 3):

p. 58 - the car falling apart - drunken car accident

p. 56 - women fighting w/ husbands

p. 57 - “the dispute ended in a short struggle”

p. 52 - gatsby’s smile - foreshadows, “precisely at that point it vanished”

p. 60 - “a sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows” and Gatsby’s formal farewell

p. 81 - Daisy has second thoughts about the wedding - doesn’t love Tom - Note disintegrates - just like her dream of marrying her love, and Gatsby’s dream of getting back together w/ Daisy

The facade (or dream) vs. the reality:

Gatsby

p. 52 - gatsby’s smile - foreshadows, “precisely at that point it vanished”

his speech “just missed being absurd”

p. 69 - lies (his finally story)

p. 71 - looking through magazines - magazines are usually gossiping

p. 75-77 - Meyer Wolfsheim - clue to reality of Gatsby (corruption?)

beautiful web of lies covers up some type of corruption (America? - APUSH makes it look bad?)

Gatsby’s party

p. 58 - party’s end with car

p. 57 - “the dispute ended in a short struggle”

p. 46 - “Dressed up in white flannels I went over to his lawn a little after seven. . . . convinced that it was theirs for a few words in the right key,”

46 - nick couldn’t blend in - competition to seem better, they're not really there for Gatsby

facade of enjoyment covering a hungry greed - microcosm for the 1920s

Tom/Daisy

p. 82 - Tom’s affair w/ chambermaid on honeymoon - happy couple - affair

p. 81 - Daisy has second thoughts about the wedding - doesn’t love Tom - Note disintegrates - just like her dream of marrying her love, and Gatsby’s dream of getting back together w/ Daisy

p. 82-83 - “What Gatsby?” - Daisy is still thinking about Gatsby, unhappy with her marriage

The facade of the old money perfect life is false and covers misery and corruption

Nick

p. 64, beginning - facade of honest pure non-judgemental

p.70 - judgemental attitude towards gatsby (trying not to laugh)

lying to himself

doesn’t do anything - let’s bad things happen and stands aside

p. 69 - refers to when Gatsby asked for his opinion on him - Nick’s not willing to be honest to Gatsby about how he feels - hides behind politeness

p. 61 - life - full of work and imagining how others’ lives might be. - incredibly sad and loneliness, describing himself as invisible

facade of excitement in his life - Tom/Daisy drama, Gatsby’s parties

Jordan

p. 63 - incurably dishonest

p. 62 - in her first big golf tournament cheated (probably)

p. 63 - bad driver - it’s okay b/c it takes two to make an accident, blames others - as a metaphor to drive in life

facade of coolness and disinterest covers a core of dishonesty and uncaring

NOTES - background

Gilda Gray

popular broadway star

popularized the “shimmy” - “the twerking of the 20s”

Ziegfeld follies

elaborate broadway productions

became radio show called “Ziegfeld follies in air”

dance crazes in the 20s

quick feet, flapper dresses

dance moves - “charleston, turkey trot, quick step, the shimmy”

1919 World Series - The Black Sox Scandal

chicago White Sox v. cincinnati reds

White sox were the best team so it’s odd that they lost

payed off to lose

no player eligible to hall of fame even though they were fantastic

lifetime ban from league but no criminal charges

paid very little, so the money seemed good, more than one gambler involved

made people realize the corruption and gambling became regulated

people devastated - player disrespecting them and their honesty

metaphor for everything that was wrong with america

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Ch. 5

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Ch. 6

104 - Gatsby’s symbolism (“rags to riches” “reinvention” “new”)

Torn green jersey, changes his name, becomes a new person, rags to riches

“Platonic conception of himself”

Plato - he believes that everything is just a standing of an idea

Ex. tree is a symbol of treeness , and treeness is the ideal form of tree

Gatsby embodies an idea, he doesn’t exist in a physical sense

He is a slave to a false, but outwardly beautiful, world

American dream?

American identity/America/America’s understanding of itself

105 - Dan Cody Symbolism

“Frontier” “violence” “silver mines” “soft-minded” “rich”

Represents: Imperialist spirit - frontier (Western Imperialism) - shapes the US

107 - points out relationship btw Gatsby and Dan Cody

How Gatsby was shaped by Cody

To make the symbolic tie

107-110 - Symbolism of Sloanes

????

Maybe distinction btw old and new money

They leave Gatsby out

113 - Gatsby’s Party w/ Daisy

Everything absolutely offended Daisy

Party “from nothing to nothing”

Daisy lives in a world of euphemism

Party symbolism?

The 20s

The younger/ lost generation

2nd, alternate world (nihilistic idea)

115 - Daisy's mind - maybe even gatsby’s love is a facade that’s going to disintegrate

116 - he says that she didn’t love it - they were all for daisy

He wants to repeat the past - she has to understand

Crushed flowers, empty bowl - symbolism

Symbol of past - Dan Cody

Thinking about Gatsby’s symbolism - America (Am.) Romanticises our dreams from our past and future

Ch. 7

Background:

Trimalchio

Collection of satirical poems - Roman satyrica

The dinner of trimalchio

Dinner with unsettling displays of wealth

Trimalchio was a freed slave - reference to questionable means

He is very disrespectful to both guests and slaves

Implications

Both: “making fun” of their respective countries

Great Gatsby - satyre of America

p. 6 - something very, very wrong - “preying upon Gatsby”

Symbolism:

Gatsby: (illusion of the american dream)

Illusion of the american dream

Obsession with materialism

To the point of corruption - bootlegging, and take the fall for myrtle’s death

And death of human spirit (Myrtle)

Nick: (Industry)

Industry

Driving force which helps gatsby (america) to realize his dream of materialism (daisy)

New decade ahead of him - can only see death and weakness after

Admires and benefits from the illusion of the american dream

Protects the secrets of materialism

Daisy: (Materialism)

Materialism

Her voice is full of money

Materialism ultimately kills the human spirit (Myrtle)

Myrtle: (Human Spirit)

Human Spirit

“Life is violently extinguished”

"Smoldering," "alive"

Doing what you can to live happily

Breast - symbol of life giving - ripped out

Tom: (white supremacist fear of losing control)

Trying to control everything around him

Represents the white supremacist’s Fear of losing power

Try to keep under control the market (materialism)

And control/oppress lower classes (George Wilson)

Exploiting human spirit

Jordan: (upper class)

Another example of upper classes

To show it's not just one person that acts that way, it's systematic

George: (lower classes)

Chained to environment, sad

Oppression of lower class - the sadness that comes with him

His only dream is to be enough for Myrtle

Lower classes cannot find fulfillment

Desires to point of obsession

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Ch. 8-9

(13-15 paragraphs + counterargument & refutation) - for the essay

Quotes proving symbolism

Daisy

Feminist lense - objectification of daisy, of women

“She vanished into her rich house, into her rich , full life, leaving Gatsby - nothing.” - p.156-157

Richness, wealth, emptiness - gatsby’s house is also a symbol of this

From before too (weath preserves)“...Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor” p. 157

STRONG QUOTE - gleaming like silver, starshine

Connotation of artificiality

Silver - dehumanizing - empty dehumanized materialism

Meretricious materialism

Gatsby

p. 156 - “he might have despised himself… to be blown anywhere around the world”

False front - lies to daisy

He himself is a facade

Shows the reality

p. 156 - “however glorious might be his future… because he had no real right to touch her hand”

Putting on a facade - shows the facade

p. 176 - “he had a bright future before him”

Bright future is not always true

The lie his father still believes - still believes in this illusion - “that’s my jimmy”

Counterargument + refutation - you can’t prove that’s the american dream

Refutation - p. 181 - Gatsby’s journal - “no wasting time, etc.”

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin connection - specific Am. Icon

Something important in death of illusion of Am. dream - who's fault?:

George wilson - oppression of lower classes killed the illusion of the am. Dream -- (leads to Progressive era? - but Fitzgerald doesn't know that)

Tom - manipulates george (lower class) to kill the am dream - supremacy/higher classes/need for control kills am. dream

Daisy (driving car) - manipulates and benefits from death of am. Dream and oppression of lower classes - money root of all of this mess

George

p. 164 - “about 3 0’clock… and her nose swollen”

George goes downhill - deteriorating, disintegration motif

Grief - anger stage

p. 165 - “half annoyed… look”

Symbolic of how beaten down by society - no longer has a soul, humanity (human spirit?) - never very strong

mentions half a lot - connotation: sort of like fading out; mentions eyes: windows to the soul, shows soul fading out

p. 167 - “listen… the dissolving night”

Eyes of Dr. T edenberg - eyes of god, eyes of judgement

“Just an advertisement” (next line) - theme of nihilism

p. 170 - death

“The holocaust was done” - death by fire - evokes sense of ashes (not The Holocaust - hadn't happened yet)

Everyone who has a dream dies or fails - motif - nihilism

Tom

p. 159 - “she wanted her life shaped now, immediately…still at oxford ”

How forceful tom is - supremacy

“Made by some force” ^ - power

Kills gatsby’s dream the moment he marries daisy

Crushes the am. Dream by the way he controls and exploits materialism

p. 187-188 - “he was crazy… never stopped the car”

Tom pointed a loaded gun at gatsby but the gun was in wilson’s hands

what it says about nick - he said nothing

What pg? - “They were careless people ...the mess they had made”

Doesn’t have to deal with any of his problem

privilege

This is what kills gatsby in the end - pwrful people can manipulate to not be held responsible

Nick

p. 173 - “look here old sport… this alone”

Industries primal instinct - to keep working for the am. Dream even after it’s dead

p. “... me and Gatsby against the world”

Delusion that they can be together - loyal to the myth even in its death and with the evidence of corruption

P. 183 - ”I’m 30.. And call it honor”

What he did in the past was not benefiting him

Realises he’s lying to himself - realizes he’s acting on his own self interest

p. 189 “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder… ceaselessly into the past”

The am. Dream promotes the idea that just keep going (the green light)

Yet we still go - never-failing belief to keep trying, even if the facade is harmful for us

The West (New symbol)

Symbol: conservative traditional values

P. 184 - “I see now… to eastern life”

Eastern life is new modern life of new values and they’re stuck in their old values

Shedding that old identity

185 - “West egg still… and no one cares”

Nihilistic portrait - nobody knows one another - empty lives and relationships

Woman dying because she’s drunk

Embracing that when we leave the west behind

“That’s my middle west… ”

189 - “the essential houses begin to fade away...for wonder”

The aesthetic he neither understood nor desired

This wonder sets the bar for the Materialistic desire and the am. Dream

I can build anything I can dream idea (East passage, panama canal)

Jordan - corrupt upper class (like tom) - not individual but systemic

Possible Arguments/ Themes

The american people should not respect the upper class because under their facade they’re shallow

The power hungry and the oppression groups that killed the american dream

If daisy is the am. Dream - then many people demised b/c of its corruption

Am dream unobtainable b/c oppression of lower class

Nihilistic - disintegration

Keeping upt the facade of am dream - benefitial for some people

Am dream needs industrialism to become real

Materialism cause of am dream + its death, also death of human spirit

Am dream chases materialism which causes death of human spirit

Am dream is fragile illusion

Materialism is empty and dehumanizing

Irony - am dream chases materialism + causes death

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